ETHICS THROUGH MOVIES

Paper details

Purpose

The intent of this assignment is to expand your consideration of ethics related issues in our society through movies. The movie you choose is a starting point to the

ethical issues faced by the characters in the movie that can be related, in general, to reality.

This assignment is NOT a movie critique so there is no need to comment on the lighting, or the cinematography effects. This assignment is a research paper assignment

intended to provide you with an opportunity to practice the following skills:

conducting research and evaluating the credibility of your research sources;
quoting, paraphrasing, and properly citing research sources;
writing clearly and concisely;
adhering to the APA academic writing guideline to create a professional document.
Guidelines to Writing Your Proposal

Your proposal should be 3 to 4 pages long, excluding coverpage and the references. It should briefly summarize the story of the movie and also clearly state the

ethical issues that you are going to discuss. State whether it is an ethical dilemma, ethical problem or a locus of control issue. You should briefly mention about the

ethical theories that you will use to anlyse the issue. The proposal should also have the reference of 6 journal articles that talks about the ethical issue that is

being discussed in the movie.

The proposal should be in APA format with coverpage. 12 point Times New Roman font .

Guidelines to Writing Your Paper:

Step 1: Choose a movie that has an ethical dilemma or ethical dilemmas. Summarize the story (plots) of the movie (use the names of the characters, not the actor

names).

Step 2: Identify the ethical issues characters are faced with, how they reacted, and how they get to the decision of their actions. Analyze the main characters and

their role in the ethical issue.

Step 3: Isolate the movie’s ethical dilemmas as they relate, in general, to anyone. Formulate the ethical dilemma(s) in the form of a question. For example, in the

movie John Q, an ethical question you may ask is, Is motivation or intention enough to warrant the end/result of an action?, or another ethical question to address

regarding the movie is Is suicide okay to save another person’s life?, or Is violence acceptable to attain a noble outcome?

Step 4: Address the ethical dilemma(s) in step 3 by collecting as much information as you can through research. Then ask yourself, how would the philosophers address

the ethical question? For example, would utilitarianism approve of John Q’s actions if he achieved the desirable outcomes he wanted? What if the outcomes were

undesirable, does it still justify John Q’s actions? Analysis to the answers of your ethical questions must be supported by credible references, otherwise they are

considered opinions. Opinions have no value in the content of your paper without analysis and support.

Step 5: In your conclusion, place yourself in the character roles and ask yourself what would you do in their situation? Remember that the characters are part of a

movie not real life. Real life might not have the happy ending the movie portrays. So make sure you do a thorough analysis of the ethical dilemmas before taking a

stance. The stronger your step 3, the more realistic your conclusion is going to turn out, and unbiased. A conclusion is at the very least one page in length.